(TRENTON) – United States Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack has designated 16 New Jersey counties as natural disaster areas to assist farmers who suffered losses due to excessive heat and drought during the 2010 growing season.

“We are grateful for the relief being offered by Secretary Vilsack and for the swift action by Governor Christie to help bring about the disaster declaration,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher. “Our farmers faced many challenges during this growing season, and we all admire their perseverance and true grit they displayed under these harsh growing conditions.”

The designation includes the contiguous disaster counties of Essex, Passaic and Union. The disaster declaration covers farm losses incurred from June 1 through September 30.

“The excessive heat and lack of rain impacted many crops, including corn and hay,” said Paul Hlubik, Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in New Jersey. “The disaster declaration will not only make farmers eligible for low-interest loans and restructuring, it also will provide direct relief through the Supplemental Revenue disaster assistance program to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria. We thank Secretary Vilsack, Governor Christie, Secretary Fisher and the State Board of Agriculture for making the designation possible.”

In September, Secretary Vilsack declared a natural disaster for Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean Counties and the contiguous counties of Gloucester, Mercer Monmouth and Salem who were impacted by winds, frost, freeze, hail and flooding from May 7 to May 31.

A natural disaster designation makes farm operators in both primary and contiguous counties eligible to be considered for assistance from Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met. This assistance includes FSA emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE).

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loan assistance. The loans could cover up to 100 percent of the dollar value of the losses. Farmers must have suffered a 30 percent loss in crop production or physical loss to livestock, inventory or property and meet FSA’s eligibility requirements. FSA considers each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

SURE program applications for 2010 crop losses will be accepted in the coming months, when the 2010 farm revenue data required by statue becomes available.